Meanwhile Kyle Wick
by DracoTerrae
Summary: Have you ever wondered where Kyle Wick is? "He left." Sure. But where did he go? What is he up to? This fic seeks to answer those questions. Long story, short? He's with the badgermoles. A companion piece to "All My Friends Are Heathens."


**_This story is a companion to All My Friends Are Heathens. You could probably(?) understand the story on its own-it's kind of the story of what Kyle Wick is up to when the cameras aren't on him/when he"left" canon-but it makes a lot more sense if you read it with my other story. It is meant to come between Chapters 20 and 21, but you could also read it after finishing Heathens as a sort of "meanwhile."_**

 ** _THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS TO "HEATHENS!" DO NOT READ BEFORE "ALL MY FRIENDS ARE HEATHENS!" (if you intend to read that story)_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _HOW THIS STORY CAME TO BE_**

 ** _I'm sure you've all heard me mention my lovliest of betas, TheAmazonian. Well, she's not only my beta, but one of my closest friends. The two of us message each other while we watch every episode of The 100 as it premieres. As we watch, we like to come up with outrageous theories. Sometimes it's about what's going to happen (we totally called going back into space when we watched the season 3 finale. And then I laughed for a solid five minutes when that reveal that they actually were going to space happened; we had only been joking). Other times it's about where certain people—*cough cough* Kyle Wick *cough*—are. This particular theory is what inspired this story, and I'll have more details to it in the end notes; I just don't want to give anything away._**  
 ** _Anyway, one day we got into a discussion about how we missed Wick and she asked if I was going to write him into Heathens. I said I wanted to, but didn't know quite how yet and she said, "Just write him a whole spin off series." Of course my mind immediately began thinking of the story's potential. It took a little effort but I convinced her I wasn't joking and that I really was going to write her a mini-series of what Kyle Wick was up to during the course of Heathens. And thus, this story was born, a gift to my beta for being awesome and helping me make Heathens into what it is today._**

 ** _*Announcer voice* And now, for your feature presentation…_**

* * *

 **Clarke was getting let out of her prison cell and led to a meeting with seven other Abled criminals, meanwhile Kyle Wick was having an unremarkable day in Engineering. And by unremarkable, he meant unremarkable; literally nothing was happening.**

Moral had been down for the past few months, ever since Jake Griffin, who had been the head of Engineering was floated. Most people paid it little mind, thinking it just another small crime for which the Council inevitably floated the poor bastard who committed it. They just thought it unfortunate that this time it was a guy they liked and admired who suffered the consequences.

But Wick wasn't so sure. Jake's wife was on the Council, Jake was friends with the Chancellor. Surely someone could have pulled a few strings to have a small crime go unsolved. He also heard that Jake's daughter had been sent to the Skybox, her Ability too valuable to have her floated. He thought about these things sometimes, but he knew questioning them would more than likely get him killed. The Ark was just run that way.

He thought about finding some mechanics to talk about his latest ideas on fixing the poor ventilation in Mecha. Whenever he brought it up with the other engineers, half of them just cited Sinclair, "The ship is over a hundred years old; it was bound to develop some small kinks," and wouldn't give him any other feedback. Even if he did find some mechanics willing to discuss it, it wouldn't be as fun without his former antagonist and friend, Raven, telling him how idiotic his designs were. She was in the Skybox now, too. Went on a spacewalk or something.

Wick shook his head and turned back to his tablet which was filled with the schematics for Mecha Station.

 **Murphy was in a ship that was about to turn into a fiery cage of death, meanwhile Kyle Wick was bouncing a ball against the wall. The repetitive motion was helping him think.**

Something was up. Sinclair was nowhere to be found today. No new assignments for the engineers. No word on what they should be working on. So, here he sat, bouncing a ball and trying to keep himself entertained until Sinclair got back.

He missed the catch and the ball rolled away. Grumbling, he got up to retrieve it. As he stood, he looked thoughtfully out the window. He swore he didn't imagine it yesterday. He had been in Engineering, working late, because he had just gotten some readouts on Mecha back. He had looked up out this very same window just as the Ark gave a small shudder. Something the residents had grown accustomed to, something they easily dismissed. But this time was different. This time, he saw a ship launch.

A small ship, probably couldn't hold more than twenty people at capacity, but still a ship launching from the Ark without any notifications to the citizens. He had even double-checked the Ark Announcements: nothing. Mechanics didn't have a log of maintenance on a dropship either. There was no record of preparing a ship for launch. Nor of the launch itself. But Wick knew what he saw streak through the sky last night. He knew what he saw hurtling towards Earth's surface. He just didn't know why.

 **Bellamy's mind was being assaulted by a princess whom thought louder and more obnoxiously than anyone he had ever met, meanwhile Kyle Wick was getting woken up from his impromptu nap.**

"Kyle, did you get enough sleep last night?" Sinclair asked, looking concerned.

"Sure. But sleeping is a fantastic form of recreation," Wick replied with his usual grin. "I was waiting for you to get back to see if there was anything specific I should be working on."

"Not really, just the assignment about Agro's water system update."

"Already gave my plans to the probie to check to see if we have the needed parts."

Sinclair chuckled. "I see. Giving the grunt work to the newest member of our team."

"The sooner he can learn to navigate all the routes to get plans up and in motion the better."

Sinclair shook his head and turn to go toward his own station. "Well, I guess I'll just see you tomorrow, then, Kyle."

Wick jumped up and walked the short distance with him. "There was something I've actually been meaning to ask you about."

"What's that?"

"The other night. I was in here looking at the ventilation readouts for Mecha, seeing if there was anything we overlooked that could be improved, when I swear, no, when I _know_ I saw a ship launch from the Ark." He waited with baited breath for Sinclair's reply.

"Oh, that?" he sounded forcedly casual. "The ship had been slowly being scavenged over the years for parts, so the Council finally decided to take the last usable bits and send it off."

"But it _launched_. I saw it. It was headed down toward Earth."

He could see Sinclair becoming a little uncomfortable with his questions. "We had to make sure it was a distance away from the Ark. It wouldn't do to have it simply float in our orbit and wait for the inevitable crash."

Wick sighed. "I guess that makes sense. I was just curious and there were no notifications or announcements about it or anything."

"It just wasn't a big enough deal to warrant any that," Sinclair replied, relaxing a little. "Don't let it keep you up at night."

"You're right. Thanks for indulging me," Wick sent him a tight smile. "Night, Sinclair."

"See you tomorrow, Kyle."

Wick went back to his quarters. The answers Sinclair had given him made sense. But he wasn't totally convinced. Plus, all the tension in Sinclair's shoulders during that conversation. That was too simple an answer to deserve that much tension.

 **Octavia was coming face to face with a grounder who it turned out actually wanted to help her, meanwhile Kyle Wick was sitting in a pew, twiddling his thumbs.**

It had been a while since he had been in this room or came to a service, but his grandmother had passed in the night. They had just released her body to space a couple hours ago. And this room was one of the few places he could come for a moment of quiet reflection where no one would disturb him.

His grandmother had been the one who told him stories about Earth of old. She used to bring him to services and after everyone had left, brought him up to the front while she talked with Vera Kane. If Vera was busy, they would lay down on the ground, and stare up at the branches of the small tree; his grandmother would tell him to imagine hundreds of these trees, bigger and brighter.

On his twelfth birthday, his grandmother had traded Vera for one of the rocks that were in the small basin with the tree. Kyle had always eyed them and like to run his fingers over their smooth surfaces while his grandmother and her friend talked. He would never have thought to take one for himself, but his grandmother had seen how much he enjoyed them.

Today, he fingered that same stone in his pocket. He brought it out, settling it on his palm. He had always felt an attachment to the stones, he could feel them thrumming, sturdy and solid.

He made his stone float gently off of his palm. The small show of his Ability he allowed himself. If anyone ever saw him, he would be thrown in the Skybox, or more likely floated, for having an unregistered Ability. Not that his Ability was all that useful. He could move stones, change their shape if he really wanted. But the only stones that existed on the Ark were those in the basin with the tree, so he wasn't really much of a threat to anyone.

He sighed and stood to go back to his quarters.

 **Monty was getting gored by a boar, meanwhile Kyle Wick was eating a sandwich. It was lunchbreak and the engineers were just shooting the breeze like any other day.**

"Sinclair, the Chancellor wants to see you," a voice came through the intercom.

Sinclair jumped up and began putting away his lunch. "Tell him I'm on my way."

"What'd you do, Sinclair?" Wick asked teasingly. "Or did the Chancellor forget how to work his tablet?"

"Always the jokester, Kyle. Get back to work on putting together that new water recycling project."

"But it's still lunch break."

"Well, then finish up and get working."

"I could come with you. Maybe get the Chancellor to admit what has him and the Council so tense."

"What are you talking about?" one of the other engineers asked.

"You seriously haven't noticed? The past few days, every member of the Council has been acting shady, whispering about something."

"They're always shady. They're the Council, it's what they do."

Sinclair sighed. "I don't know what the two of you are talking about, but finish your lunches and get back to work. I'll probably be back later this afternoon. If I'm not, have a good night."

Wick chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. The Council _had_ been acting shady, something they were probably preparing to inform the rest of the Ark about, possibly about that ship launch he saw. He'd just have to keep pestering Sinclair; he clearly knew _something_. At least something more than Wick knew.

 **Jasper was having one of his episodes, the first in a long time, meanwhile Kyle Wick was glued to the television screen. The Ark was having a** ** _Lord of the Rings_** **marathon and Wick made a point never to miss one.**

Then the screen shorted out. The entire rec room let out a shout of protest. Abby Griffin came on the screen. "Fellow citizens of the Ark, there is something you need to know. The Ark is dying. The air filtration system is no longer functioning as it should and it would take longer to repair it than we have."

The room broke out into gasps and panicked cries. Other people shouted them down in order to hear the rest of Abby's message.

"My husband, Jake Griffin, was floated for wanting to share this information with you. This is what the Chancellor's son, Wells, died trying to tell you. This is what my daughter, Clarke, was imprisoned for. The Council and Chancellor don't want me to tell you this, but I believe it is your right to know. It is also your right to know that we have sent down a group of people to Earth to see if it's survivable. And it is. We just got verbal confirmation from them.

"But the next problem that we face is that we are above population capacity for the trip down. We were supposed to have another hundred years to decrease population to fit on the Exodus ships, but we need to leave now. We are looking into options and I believe that we will only be able to succeed in the trip to the ground if we work together. So please work with us, so as many people as possible can have a life on Earth. We are going home."

Jaws hung agape throughout the room. People began yelling and shouting and pushing in a general panic. Sinclair stood on the table. Of course he was at _Lord of the Rings_ night. "Everyone needs to calm down," he shouted. Surprisingly people stopped and turned to him. "What Councilwoman Griffin said _is_ true. The Ark is dying. But the ground _is_ survivable. We are working on solutions as I speak. Staying calm and keeping order in the days to come is going to be our best option for getting everyone to the ground. This problem will take everyone working together and being brave in order for it to succeed, so _please_ do this for the good of everyone on the Ark."

When the crowd died down and people began retreating to their quarters, _Lord of the Rings_ night effectively quashed, Wick caught up to Sinclair. "So, new project at work, Boss?" he asked with a smile.

Sinclair returned it readily. "Yes. And we'll definitely need all our best minds working on it."

"And I definitely am your best mind," he joked.

Sinclair shook his head in exasperation. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kyle."

 **Raven had just successfully not stabbed out her brains when she talked with Jaha, meanwhile Kyle Wick was currently trying not to stab out his brains as he talked with Diana Sidney. He was attempting for the fifth time to explain that Sinclair had read him in on all the details and he was supposed to be helping with the plans to get the Ark to the ground.**

"For the last time, Diana," he refused to give her the respectful title of Councilwoman. "Sinclair said he wants me on this project."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What project?"

"Getting everyone to the ground. Give it up already, whistle has been blown, the beans have been spilled, the cat is out of the bag. How many other ways do you want me to say it? Everyone knows the Ark is dying. _I'm_ trying to help save it."

"Really, Diana?" Kane said as he went to enter the room in which the coms between the Ark and Earth were set up. "Let the boy through. Worst case scenario he's not actually an engineer and Sinclair will kick him out as soon as he enters."

Diana scoffed and shot him a dirty look, but moved aside.

"Thanks, Kaner," Wick shot the older man a smile as he breezed into the room.

Just as he entered Sinclair was saying, "We still need more options."

"What about the Ark itself?" A male voice came through the speakers. "I've always dreamed about the Council plummeting to earth when they got too excited talking about the Return for our grandkids."

"Shut up Murphy, that would be…fucking brilliant!" a voice that could be none other than Raven Reyes replied excitedly. "I could just kiss you!"

"I'm not stopping you," the male voice replied.

"I said 'could' not 'would,'" Raven told him.

Wick pulled up a chair next to Sinclair. "New boyfriend?" he inserted himself into the conversation.

"Wick," Raven replied, sounding annoyed, a tone he was much familiar with. The smile on her face betrayed that she was as excited to see her friend as he was to see his. "Should have known you'd be showing your ugly mug sooner or later."

"Well _someone_ has to put whatever crazy plan you come up with to work."

"Yeah, that's why Sinclair is here."

Sinclair shook his head, "And now I'm questioning why I decided to ask both of you to work on this together."

"Because me and Reyes make a great team."

"Yeah," Raven agreed. "Once I change his plans to something that will actually work, there's never a problem with whatever we fix."

Wick shot her a grin through the screen. "So, from what I gathered, we get to play the schematics of the entire Ark? Sounds fun." He waggled his eyebrows and the three of them got to work talking about different ways to accomplish their goal.

 **Miller was phasing through doors and fighting for his life in their Mount Weather heist, meanwhile Kyle Wick was staring at the walls of his bedroom.**

It was weird to think that this would be the last times he saw them. Okay, maybe not the _last_ time, especially since the plan would involve the majority of the stations of the Ark being part of the drop. But still, if he did see them again, it wouldn't be space on the other side of the metal, it would be Earth. Earth full of rocks and stones and he would be lying if the thought of a deeper connection to his Ability didn't thrill him.

It would also mean that he would have to reveal his Ability to the Council…but hey, they pardoned all the criminals they sent down ahead. So, why not him too?

He sighed and turn to grab his small bag. The Council was allowing one personal bag per individual, though they suggested everyone fill theirs with clothes and other essentials. He knew Gretta down the hall was taking all her books. "Unless they want an old lady running around in her knickers, someone will just have to clothe me if this dress and the one other I packed gets ruined," she had told him with a conspiratorial smile.

He fingered the small rock in his pocket. Sure he would probably have a slew of them to choose from once on the ground—assuming he made it to the ground—but this one would always have special meaning.

He walked out his door and headed toward Mecha Station to which he had been assigned for the drop. The modifications were a little sketchy, but by his calculations they should make it to the ground safely. "So," he greeted the handful of other people who were already at the vessel. "You know those videos of Old-Earth roller coasters? I'm pretty sure this is just going to be an extreme version of that."

 **Bellamy was coming to an accord with the Grounder commander, meanwhile Kyle Wick was trying not scream at the top of his lungs. If this was anything like what a roller coaster had felt like on Old-Earth, everyone who ever went on one of those things had a death wish.**

He had talked out the process with Sinclair and Raven. He personally had drawn up some of the modifications they made. He had overseen the plans from start to finish for the drop to Earth. He knew the science was sound. But none of that made him feel any better.

His stomach was in his throat. His heart was beating out of his chest. The blood was thumping overwhelmingly loud in his ears.

"We're going to die," the woman next to him shrieked in hysterics.

"We'll be fine," he assured her. "And if we don't. Feel free to blame me," he added jokingly.

The look she shot him made it abundantly clear that his jokes were neither needed nor appreciated at the moment. But if they comforted _him_ , he was going to make as many jokes as he wanted.

Suddenly the floor beneath them jolted harshly, coming into contact with something solid. The thundering crush of metal reverberated throughout the station. He was pretty sure they were on Earth. And he was pretty sure they were still alive.

 **Murphy was feeling glad he was with the group that found Farm Station rather than the Exodus ship, meanwhile Kyle Wick was remembering how to breathe. And more importantly, he was realizing how easy it was to breathe in air that was not part of a failing filtration system. And boy was it glorious.**

And that was to say nothing of the beautiful landscape around them. He had grown up with pictures and videos of Earth That Was, but none of those were doing justice to the sight before him. The greens were greener, the browns browner, everything more vivid. A part of him had to admit it could be because it was soaked and distorted by radiation, but that didn't matter so much to him. It was beautiful.

All around him, everyone was looking at the world with the same sense of awe. Then the younger ones started running out from the metal box that had been their home, laughing with abandon. And before long, even the adults were joining. They were alive. And they were on the ground.

 **Clarke was attempting not to give Bryne the satisfaction of fear at the thought of being shocklashed, meanwhile Kyle Wick was juggling. Soon after landing he had picked up a handful of stones to his ever delight and now he was juggling them up in the air without even touching them with his hands.**

Of course, he did this in a quiet, secluded spot near camp; he wasn't really ready to reveal his Ability to the masses. Charles Pike who had been the Earth Skills teacher for as long as Wick could remember had easily taken charge of their small group from Mecha. Wick was supposed to be looking for food, but he could do that in a minute. He just wanted to revel in the thrum of the stones and rock that were surrounding the area in which they had landed.

Eventually he stopped juggling and gathered some greens and berries he thought looked edible, but he was an engineer, not a biologist. Pike would catch it if they weren't.

As they settled in for their first night on Earth, Wick grabbed the blanket he had packed in his bag and laid down on the rocky ground, subtly forming it to fit his body. Though when people asked wouldn't he rather sleep inside Mecha's hull, in some shelter, he just told them he wanted to stare up at the stars; he wasn't over the different view. In truth, it was the rock and stone that was calling to him and now that it was in such abundance, he was loathe to leave it for the cold metal of Mecha.

 **Octavia was teasing her brother about adopting a hoard of Abled, meanwhile Kyle Wick was becoming more and more convinced he was lost. He had been wandering a bit when he found a cave hidden in the rock on the side of the mountain upon which they had landed. And who wouldn't want to explore some unknown cave one of their first few days on Earth?**

He slid his hand along the wall, feeling the rock reverberate with life beneath it. He could have sworn the stone beneath his hand had a different feel depending on the surroundings. He could tell where it was thinner, thicker, when it would turn up ahead. But the problem was that he got so distracted by these slight differences under his palm that he forgot which sensations he had followed. As a result, he didn't know which sensations to follow to get back out of the caves system.

He had crawled through crevices, waded through underground streams, literally gone in circles. He tried to use these new vibrations to find where the rock gave way to open landscape. And at this point, he didn't really care if it was the same opening through which he had entered. He would just appreciate being able to find the other people with whom he had landed.

To top it off, the flashlight which he had grabbed from the camp supplies after seeing the cave yesterday was starting to die. But that's what he gets for not recharging the batteries. And whoops, there it went. He plunged into pitch black. At least he had the thrumming of the rock to comfort and guide him.

 **Miller was being knocked unconscious and taken to the Mountain, meanwhile Kyle Wick was still thoroughly and utterly lost. He had managed to find some mushrooms he hoped weren't going to kill him, and he found another underground stream for water. Or maybe it was the same one. Whatever it was, new or old, he still had no idea where he was.**

By this point he had gotten used to the dark. Hey, if blind people could get through life without seeing anything, so could he.

"Oof!" he shouted into the dark as he tripped over something. Wait…He'd gotten used to sensing rocks in his path, whether they were loose stones, a boulder, or an end of a tunnel. So that must mean…

He reached his hand out and felt an odd rope across the floor of the cave. It kind of felt like skin, but with sparse rough hair and HOLY SHIT! It was moving.

He scrambled away. Relaxing once he felt the comforting feel of stone at his back. His breath was racing. His heart thumping a rapid beat.

He froze as something cold and wet settled against his cheek and forced his head back with its movement. He heard snuffling and realized it was the nose of some animal. Some very large animal. A tongue rasped against the side of his face again.

Whelp, he had lived a good life. He made it to the ground. That's better than he had hoped his life would have gone. His picked over skeleton would be lost in the cave never to be found. But well…Okay, would whatever this creature was get the killing and the eating over with?

Wait, was it _licking_ him? Like dogs did to people in the movies? The tongue rasped a third time. He tentatively lifted a hand to the snout and felt surprisingly soft fur under his hand. Maybe he wasn't going to die today.

 **Raven was being stitched back together (thank the gods Clarke made it in time), meanwhile Kyle Wick was chasing after the large, furry creature that he had found. Or did it find him? Either way, it was moseying down the tunnel and he wasn't about to let the first sign of sentient life in days walk away from him.**

"Where are you going, Mr. Giant Furry Animal?" Wick questioned as he trailed after it. The creature seemed to not be in any sort of a hurry, just meandering its way through the tunnel. Wick ran his hand along the wall and got a feel for the nearby rock.

"Huh, these tunnels fit the animal perfectly."

For a moment he thought that maybe it was a burrowing animal, and that it and its friends had created the network of tunnels weaving throughout the mountain. But he immediately dismissed the thought. These tunnels were through solid rock; you can't burrow through solid rock.

All of a sudden his footsteps made a splashing sound and water began to soak into his shoes. He knelt down and felt water. The animal was still moving forward, so Wick followed. Then he got a face full of fur when the creature stopped. He heard lapping and moved around to the side of the creature.

"Water," he breathed, eagerly cupping some into his mouth; it'd been a while since he had come across a stream. "Thank you, Friend."

The creature nudged him gently with its snout and then started walking in another direction. Wick got up and followed.

 **Jasper was going on his first unofficial date with Maya, meanwhile Kyle Wick was eating some weird mushroom; they had a disgusting slimy texture. "I hope this isn't going to make me hallucinate," he muttered. He considered it for a minute. Well, the badgermole—that's what he determined they were, something part mole, part badger—was eating the mushrooms and it brought him here, so they must be safe.**

And that had been his life for the past few days, following this badgermole. It had taken a liking to him, and if it was human, Wick would have said it was showing him all its favorite places, its favorite drinking holes, its favorite snacks and where to get them, its favorite place to catch some shut eye. Wick was just hoping that at some point he badgermole would show him its favorite exit.

It's not like it was too bad. He didn't have to worry about thirst or hunger or anything. And his Ability was progressing and he felt closer to the thrumming of the stones than he ever had before. Not only could he sense the twists and turns of the stone, but he was now starting to learn how to recognize the tread of feet on the stone. It was amazing, like he had gained an extra sense. He just wished it didn't feel like he had lost his sense of sight in order to gain this new one.

 **Monty was receiving a rather belated and odd welcome greeting from Dante Wallace, meanwhile Kyle Wick had discovered the most amazing thing in the entire universe. He wasn't kidding, this was freaking awesome! The badgermoles could move and control the rocks! They had Abilities just like him! And by "just like him" he meant exactly like him!**

Wick's badgermole friend, who he had now taken to calling Bumi, had brought him to meet other badgermoles. They had all slept in a giant pile and it was the warmest Wick had ever been in his entire life. Then after they woke up a bunch of them just wandered off, creating their own tunnel as they left, he could feel the stone shifting along the walls.

He had scrambled to his feet, mouth agape, but that's what was happening. The badgermoles were moving the rocks, shifting it out of their way to walk wherever they pleased throughout the mountain.

Of course he had immediately tried. Rushing to the nearest wall he placed his hands on it and willed the rock to disappear or move out of the way. It shifted to the right and he felt flat on his face, having been leaning to heavily on his hands. Luckily it being pitch black, and the badgermoles not being human, no one saw his fumble.

He turned over onto his back and Bumi came over to nudge him. How he knew it was Bumi and not some other badgermole? It was difficult to describe. Maybe something to do with how Bumi walked or the way the rocks responded to him. It didn't really matter how; he just knew that it was Bumi.

Then Bumi started down the tunnel Wick had started and moved the stone out of their way as he walked. "Dude, why haven't we been doing this the whole time? This is awesome!" Wick asked his friend. But being a badgermole, Bumi didn't respond, just kept walking.

 **Clarke was being given an ultimatum of basically turn on the rest of the Ark or die, meanwhile Kyle Wick was wading in water. He and Bumi had come to a deep water pocket and if was being honest with himself, Wick smelled, he smelled bad.**

After perhaps half an hour, he could feel his fingers going pruney, he got out of the water and waited for Bumi, who had gone a lot deeper in the water than Wick. Growing up in a spaceship kind of made Wick a little wary of water in which he couldn't touch the bottom. Granted he could just raise the stone bottom of the pool to meet his feet, but he had gotten his fill.

Bumi finally came over and shook the droplets from his fur violently, covering Wick in water all over again. Wick grumbled good-naturedly before putting his clothes, still damp from their brief dunking/wash.

The badgermole gently nudged Wick forward, indicating for him to take the lead. It had become a more frequent occurrence, almost as if Bumi was try to teach Wick how to bend the earth to his will more easily. Wick would go in front and shift the stone out of their way. He was even getting better at knowing what was ahead of them. Today Wick had a mission, he was going to find a way out of this Mountain. Bumi didn't object, but then again, Bumi didn't speak, he just followed after Wick just like Wick followed after him in the early days.

 **Octavia was wondering how neither Bellamy nor Clarke had strangled Diana Sidney before, meanwhile Kyle Wick was being blinded. Seriously, had the sun always been this bright. Yeah, sure, he hadn't been directly in the sun for a while and only a few days on Earth's surface. He knew it was supposed to be brighter than the artificial lights on the Ark, but man! This was too bright. "Wait…I'm pretty sure that's the moon.**

"Bumi, this is ridiculous. I spend I don't know how many days in the dark of tunnels and caves and now I almost can't stand to look at the moon. And you're completely unaffected…are you blind, Bumi?" He looked closer at his friend. It was the first time he had actually _seen_ a badgermole and it was pretty much exactly how he pictured. "I guess you wouldn't have to see, would you?"

Wick looked down from the opening on the side of the mountain he had created. It was just a steep drop down; one step too far and he would plummet to his death. He could make stairs or something and just leave the mountain. But he couldn't see any sign of civilization from this vantage point, and he'd rather wander the mountain with Bumi than go wandering in the open, the very bright open, and find no one.

He shrugged his shoulders and turned to go back the way they had come. Maybe they had landed on the other side of the mountain. He hadn't honed his Ability to know direction and bearings while inside the mountain until many days after he first got lost, so he had no idea where he had come in. Living a life with the badgermoles wasn't bad. He'd take it over aimless wandering and coming across animals that weren't as friendly as the badgermoles.

 **Miller was anxiously sneaking through the Mountain with Monty in hopes of getting a message to Raven, meanwhile Kyle Wick was having a deep and meaningful conversation with Bumi. It was pretty one-sided.**

"Well, Bumi, I've been living with you for probably a month. Okay, that may be an exaggeration…or an underestimation. I'm not really sure. Time doesn't really pass the same way in here. And don't get me wrong, I love you Bumi. It's true," he settled his head back against the furry creature, where he was leaning against it. "But I may want to find another human being again sometime.

"Not that you're not a great conversationalist…okay, let's be honest, you suck at the whole conversation thing. But I mean, we do have our ways of communicating. And you've been a great teacher. Seriously, I never would have thought my Abilities would ever reach the state they are now without you. But I am a human, not a badgermole, so I kind of want to talk to people again. Maybe find the ones I used to live with. I think that would be best.

"I wonder how they're doing. If they've developed their Abilities more. If it's just me or if it's an Earth thing. Anyway, if you know of any people, humans like me, do you think we could go check them out. Because you totally know what I'm saying. And I'm not crazy at all," he huffed sarcastically.

His warm and furry backrest began to move, gaining its feet and lumbering away. "Bumi! Where are you going?" Wick asked, scrambling to gain his own feet. "Wait…have you actually understood me this whole time? Bumi, if you understand human speech stop walking." The badgermole kept its pace. "Okay, I'll take that as a 'no.' Wait up, Bumi!" Wick quickened his step to catch up to his friend.

 **Bellamy was throwing a punch at the wall of the room in which he was trapped, meanwhile Kyle Wick was still walking. He felt like he had been walking for days. Okay, maybe it was just hours, but his feet were tired and Bumi was not letting up on the plodding pace.**

Wick had long since ditched his shoes, going barefoot allowed him to feel the stones and the surrounding rock without having to keep a hand on the wall. "Bumi, I'm going to need a break soon," Wick muttered.

The badgermole just nudged Wick to move in front of him and start making the way for the two of them. "Kind of the opposite of what I meant," he grumbled, but continued on.

It was then that he sensed a big open space some ways ahead of them. It was like the network of tunnels that the badgermoles kept open, but something more than that. He shrugged. He still had some time before they would get there. Maybe it was some other type of tunneling animal that could earthbend. He'd just have to keep moving forward and see.

* * *

 **Yay! I hope you enjoyed it. I wonder where Wick is headed, hmmm…curiouser and curiouser.**

 **Anyway I promised a slight expansion on my and TheAmazonian's theory of Where's Wick, doh?/Where in the World is Kyle Wick-Deigo? So here it is (if you're interested).  
It started because we were not satisfied with the "He left" explanation. (Seriously. He doesn't know anyone on the planet or the terrain or anything. Where the hell would he go?) Anyway, part of the inspiration for our theory stemmed from me rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender at the time of our discussion. The logical explanation for where he went? Not to meet any people or explore or anything. Obviously not. No, Kyle Wick left Skaikru to become an Earthbender, learning the way of the badgermoles. Hence, when I decided I wanted to write him into _All My Friends Are Heathens_ , I obviously had to give him Earthbending Abilities. And then when the question of fitting him into _Heathens_ arrived, and giving him his own spin off story, I had no choice but to write his tale of finding the badgermoles.  
PS  
Because Wick is studying Earthbending with the badgermoles, it means that he was safe far, far underground at the time of the death wave. So don't worry, kids, he's still alive. **

**And if you want to rant at me about this story, another of my stories, Bellarke in general, or pretty much anything. Or your just curious, come find me on Tumblr (DracoTerrae9099).  
**


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